Anyone who walks past Puchberg Castle these days can enjoy a very special ambience. Because the sound of a stately church choir mixes with the usual background noise of birdsong and quiet highway noise.
The choral singing week for church music is taking place for the 44th time. After the event could not take place in the last two years or only in a slimmed down version, Andreas Peterl, speaker for church music of the Diocese of Linz, is happy about the great atmosphere. Together with his leadership colleagues Marina Schacherl and Josef Baumgartner, the native of Vorarlberg organizes an instructive and sociable week for all singing enthusiasts from Sunday to Friday.
What’s on offer? It is sung in a large choir, also known as the plenum. In addition, the choir week also offers workshops and seminars on sacred music. Baumgartner sees the meeting as a “musical luxury with many gifted people”.
Among the 80 participants are people of different ages from all over Upper Austria. Many of them have been regular guests for years, for others it is a premiere. “It’s my first time here and I’m thrilled. It’s amazing how much progress we’re making,” enthuses one participant.
Choir director Heinz Janda from Weyer, on the other hand, sang at the first choir meeting in 1978, and his joy at it is unbroken.
Final concert on Friday
Today, at 8 p.m., the singers invite you to the evening service in the English choral tradition in the Pernau parish church of St. Josef. The grand finale will be a final concert on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in St. Josef in the spirit of peace, where, among other things, the timpani mass by Joseph Haydn will be performed.
Source: Nachrichten
